Martin \u0160trba ranks among the most significant figures in Slovak and Czech cinema. His name is inseparably linked with the evolution of film language after 1989 and, thanks to his meticulous visual craft, artistic sensitivity and distinctive visual signature, he has become one of the most respected cinematographers in Central Europe.
\nHe began his artistic journey at the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Bratislava, where he studied photography from 1976 to 1980. From there he went on to Prague\u2019s FAMU, graduating from the Department of Cinematography in 1985.<\/p>\n
Collaboration with prominent directors occupies a major place in his filmography. Together with his longtime friend Martin \u0160ul\u00edk he created a string of visual gems now regarded as treasures of Slovak cinema: Tenderness<\/em>, Everything I Like<\/em>, The Garden<\/em>, Orbis Pictus<\/em>, Landscape<\/em>, The City of the Sun<\/em> and The Interpreter<\/em>. With Czech director Vladim\u00edr Mich\u00e1lek he worked on titles such as Sekal Has to Die<\/em>, Autumn Spring<\/em>, Angel Exit<\/em> and Of Parents and Children<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is always a certain tension between director and cinematographer\u2014two different viewpoints on the same thing. When those two people find common ground, something extraordinary always emerges,\u201d<\/em> Martin \u0160trba said in an IFF Art Film interview.<\/p>\n